Tuesday, September 12, 2006

domes and pyramids

There is about as much of a connection between your dream about Grandpa Buk's hands and the recent discovery of Bronze Age pyramid structures in Ukraine as there is between Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome and the dream that you had about prophetic jellyfish. Not one is apropos of the other. Yet its true that all these things happened, and all happen to be of interest to you, and three of the four pertain directly to triangles (remember, triangles only havethree sides).

You remember learning in grade school that triangles are the strongest naturally occurring shape. They are free-standing forms with yadda yadda distribution of weight, strength in the apex under pressure etc. Apparently triangles are terrific things. Some people speculate that they cause a variance to the natural flow of energy which streamlines negative ions into the form hence creating a pool. This pool of negative ions is supposed to balance the ill effects of surpluss positive ions which are looming about because of industrialization. In this ionic balance there is said to be some kind of benefit to organic health. You recall reading somewhere that its good for people who live in big cities to sleep in pup tents. You don't know about that, and you don't know if Buckminster Fuller would agree, but you're pretty sure triangles are regretably neglected in terms of modern architecture.

All speculation about the pyramids being built by extraterrestrials aside, there must be some reason that ancient civilizations (cross-continentally and almost simultaneously) labored to build those magnificent pyramid structures. Maybe the reasons are obvious, like the symbolism of placing the cross on top of the church, or maybe they aren't so obvious and have to do with such unseen pools of energy. But this is all besides the point. You keep thinking about the pyramidal complex currently being excavated in Ukraine. It seems like a strange place to make such a find-- and in fact, such triangular structures are said to be rare in Europe (and virtually absent in Eastern Europe). But why? And if they have now found one, isn't there a likelyhood of more to come? What did the ancients know about pyramids that we do not?

(You find this photo insert amusing.)

Thinking in a modern context, you know that Bucky Fuller would agree to the claim that triangles are vital to efficient, durable and affordable architectural design. Though the dome, rather than pyramid, was his cause for celebration, it was put together using a myriad of triangular shapes. His geodesic design offered a futuristic view of the human abode by demonstrating: practicalities in space usage, durability of design, distribution of heat/energy sources, convenience of construction, and of course, environmental preservation. His progessive designs and philosophies thereto, offered models of sustainablity before the Earth even whispered the necessity of such modern naturalism.

(Greenhouse domes in Kobe, Japan. They're kinda similar to the geodesic dome.)

Fuller's portable Dymaxion house wasn't a geodesic dome but it's very existence as a model (which never went into wide-scale production/mail-order distribution as intended) illustrates Bucky's dedication to 'ephemeralization' and treading as lightly on the natural world as possible. The Dymaxion house was shaped like a silver jellyfish and it was said to have a misting shower tap that preserved water. In your opinion, futurists are futurists because they are tapped into an intuitive something. You think about Kostner's 'Waterworld' and Gibson's 'Mad Max.' You don't like those guys (having a particular distate for Mel), and don't dare to give them credit for any special foresight, but you nod your head in recognition of the possibility of 'art' becoming 'reality'.

You dwell on these observables:1. Continuing warming trends and reported droughts.2. The empty water resevoir in Tofino.3. The freshwater that's feeding into the ocean.4. The irony of this (see #3) as the ocean is the only place on Earth that doesn't need any more water.5. The projected biological consequences of this progressive redistribution of water sources.